IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 19th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 19th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 19th, 2018

1. Norway is going to construct the world's first ship tunnel to improve safety in the Stad peninsula.
a. The 1.7-kilometre-long Stad Ship Tunnel will be capable of accommodating 16,000-tonne freight and passenger ships.
b. The Norwegian Coastal Administration will embark on a feasibility study for the project, which is expected to cost approximately NOK 2 billion (around ₹1,548 crore).
2. The SRCC's Global Millennium Summit 2017 was concluded today at Marriott Hotel, Al Jaddaf, Dubai.
a. The two day summit was held during 18th and 19th March 2017.
b. Inaugural ceremony was addressed by Vijay Goel (Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports).
c. Indian Ambassador to UAE, Navdeep Suri addressed the concluding session of the summit.
3. The Punjab cabinet has decided to provide33 per cent reservation for Women in all government jobs.
a. The decision was taken in the first cabinet meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh at Chandigarh.
b. In a bid to end VIP culture in the state, the Punjab Cabinet has also decided to ban the use of beacons on government vehicles, foreign travel of ministers for two years and hosting banquets at state expense.
4. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced that all devices using Aadhaar authentication will have to adhere to its new encryption standards from June 1.
a. The move is aimed at adding another security layer to the hardware which is used for biometric-based digital payments.
5. The Delhi High Court has ruled that parents can evict their abusive adult children from their property.
a. Note : A 2007 law had left it to state governments to frame rules to protect the life and property of senior citizens.
6. BJP MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath today took oath as the 21st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
a. He replaced Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav as the CM.
b. Apart from him, BJP leaders Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were also sworn in as the Deputy Chief Ministers.
7. Dubai Airports, which manages both the Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports, has launched the world's fastest free Wi-Fi service across its terminals with speeds up to 100 Mbps.
a. Called the 'WOW-Fi', the service provides Wi-Fi speed about ten times faster than many households have in the UAE.
b. Free unlimited Wi-Fi at Dubai airports was launched in December 2016.
8. The Hinduja brothers, Gopichand and Srichand of the Hinduja Group have been ranked the richest Asians in UK in 2017 with an estimated $23.5 billion (₹1.5 lakh crore), an annual list of Britain's richest Asians revealed.
9. Sandeep Mathrani, the Indian-American CEO of property firm General Growth Properties, has been ranked fourth among the top 25 overpaid CEOs in the US, by non-profit organisation 'As You Sow'.
a. Mathrani, with a total compensation of ₹257 crore in 2016, is overpaid by ₹170 crore.
b. Note : Mass media company CBS' CEO Leslie Moonves has topped the list.
10. American rock and roll legend Chuck Berry (90) passed away.
a. Often called the father of rock and roll, Berry's hits included 'Johnny B Goode', 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'School Days'.
b. NASA paid tribute to late American singer-songwriter Chuck Berry by including his song 'Johnny B Goode' to 'Music from Earth' in the deep-space Voyager mission.
11. Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators has removed 41-time Ranji winners Mumbai as Full Member of BCCI and granted it Associate status.
a. As per the Lodha Committee recommendations, only one association from a state is permitted Full Membership, with the Maharashtra Cricket Association representing the state.
b. Note : Bihar, Telangana and all Northeastern states have been given Full Membership.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 15th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 15th, 2018

1.On 15th March is World Consumer Rights Day.

a.In India this day is celebrated as Viswa Upabhokta Adhikar Diwas. 

b.On March 15, 1962 US President John F. Kennedy gave a speech on consumer rights which led to the creation of the Consumer Bill of Rights.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 5th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 5th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 5th, 2018

1. The government has accepted the demands of students protesting against the alleged SSC exam paper leak scam and ordered a CBI inquiry into it.
2. The vehicles of India's top constitutional authorities, The President, the Vice President, Governors and Lieutenant Governors will soon have to display their registration numbers.
a. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced that it has written to the authorities concerned to get these vehicles registered.
3. Odisha Government has launched ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas’ (Our Village, our development) programme to reach out to people in rural areas and involve themselves in developmental activities.
a. As part of it, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off mobile video vans that will move across the state to highlight various welfare schemes at villages in the state.
4. The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) today staked claim to form the government in Nagaland.
a. NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio claimed the support of 32 MLAs in the state's 60-member Assembly.
5. National People's Party (NPP) leader Conrad Sangma staked a claim to formMeghalaya's new government, after his party won 19 seats in an election that produced a hung assembly.
a. Note : Sangma will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Meghalaya on 6th March 2018.
6. Marshall Islands in Pacific Ocean is set to become 1st country in world to recognizeCryptocurrency as its legal tender and adopt transparent crypto monetary system.
a. The parliament of island has passed law to create the digital currency called “Sovereign” with symbol SOV to raise some hard cash to pay bills and boost economy.
7. Mauritius today promised "necessary regulatory action" against entities found to be linked with the alleged $2-billion PNB Scam.
a. Indian agencies have sought details of financial transactions related to the case from their counterparts in countries including Mauritius and Hong Kong.
8. India and Vietnam have signed three agreements including landmark pact on civil nuclear cooperation to boost bilateral relations. They are :
a. MoU on Economic and Trade Cooperation
b. MoU on Cooperation in the field of atomic energy
c. Work Plan for years 2018-2022 in Agriculture
9. Human rights activist  Krishna Kumari Kohli has become Pakistan's first Hindu Dalit woman Senator after she was elected to the Upper House today.
10. Germany's Angela Merkel today secured her 4th term as the Chancellor after the Social Democratic party voted in favour of a grand coalition with Merkel's Christian Democratic Union.
a. The Parliament will formally elect Merkel as the Chancellor on March 14.
11. 90th OSCARS 2018
a. 'The Shape of Water' won Best Picture Award.
b. The Director of 'The Shape of Water' Guillermo del Toro won Best Director Award.
c. Gary Oldman has won Best Actor Award.
d. Frances McDormand won Best Actress Award.
e. Check complete list of Oscars 2018 Winners from HERE.
12. World rapid chess champion Viswanathan Anand lifted the Tal Memorial rapid chess title today.
13. India's 16-year-old shooter Manu Bhaker won a Gold medal in the women's 10m Air Pistol event at the ISSF World Cup today.
a. This is India's second gold and fifth overall medal at the event.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 4th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 4th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 4th, 2018  

1. The 6th Annual Garuda Shakti exercise between the Special Forces of the Indian Army and the Indonesian Army was concluded today at Bandung.

a. This exercise include experience sharing in counter-terrorism operations, close quarter combat, and other areas of special operations.

2. Indian Navy’s sailboat INSV Tarini, led by all-women crew, reached Cape Town, South Africa as part of Navika Sagar Parikrama expedition. 

a. This stop is last phase of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate globe before it depart Cape Town and return to Goa in April 2018, on completion of the voyage.

3. The Global Digital Health Partnership Summit was held at Canberra (Australia).

a. India was represented by the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda.

4. (4th March) is National Safety Day.

a. National Safety Week is being observed from 4th March 2018 to10th March 2018.

b. The National Safety Day/Week Campaign is celebrated in India every year by the National Safety Council to enhance the safety awareness among people.

c. Note : National Safety Council of India is a self-governing body (non profit and nongovernmental organization for public service) which was established on 4th of March in 1966 under the Societies Act in Mumbai.

d. Themes of National Safety Day / Week 2018 :  "Reinforce Positive Behavior at the Workplace to Achieve Safety and Health Goals"

5. 4-time Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar today submitted his resignation to the Governor after BJP's win in the state Assembly elections. 

a. BJP's youngest state chief, Biplab Deb could be the next Chief Minister. 

6. India, Bangladesh and Russia have signed tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in construction of Rooppur nuclear power plant near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

a. It is first initiative under India-Russia nuclear deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries.

b. It will also be India’s first atomic energy venture abroad.

7. Former President Pranab Mukherjee was today conferred the D.Litt by the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST). 

8. British athlete Sir Roger Bannister (88), the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, passed away.

9. Italian professional footballer Davide Astori (31) passed away at the age of 31 during his sleep today.

a. The defender won 14 caps for Italy in a career which started at AC Milan.

10. Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was appointed the new Captain of Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League.

a. Robin Uthappa was named the team's vice captain.

11. Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan became the Youngest Cricketer at 19 years, 165 days to captain a national side after leading the team as interim captain against Scotland today. 

a. Rashid recently became the youngest player to hold the top spot for any form of ICC men's ranking, after being elevated to the top spot in ODI and T20I bowlers rankings.

12. The 2018 Maharashtra Tata Open Men's Tennis Championship was recently held at Pune, India.

a. Men's Singles Winner : Gilles Simon (France)

b. Men's Doubles Winners : Robin Haase (Netherlands) and Matwé Middelkoop (Netherlands)

13. The 2018 Chennai Open Challenger was recently held at Chennai, India.

a. Men's Singles Winner : Jordan Thompson (Australia)

b. Men's Doubles Winners : Sriram Balaji (India) Vishnu Vardhan (India)

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 2nd, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 2nd, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MARCH 2nd, 2018  

   

1. The 22nd World Information Technology Congress (WITC) 2018 was held at Hyderabad (Telangana)

a. Theme of WITC 2018 : Future Enterprises. 

b. Note : India is hostedWITC for the first time. 

2. The South Korean National Assembly has passed a law reducing the maximum weekly working hours from 68 to 52. 

a. The new work week will consist of 40 regular hours and an additional 12 hours of overtime. 

3. The Centre approved projects worth over Rs 2,900 crore under the Nirbhaya fund for eight major cities of the country in a bid to make them safer for women.

a. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad Ahmedabad and Lucknow have been sanctioned a total of Rs 2,919.55 crore after a meeting today of the Empowered Committee, which is headed by the secretary of Women and Child Development (WCD).

b. Note : The Nirbhaya Fund was set up in the aftermath of the gruesome gangrape and murder of a paramedical student in Delhi in 2012, and aims at improving safety for women.

4. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is going to deploy an all-female staff in at least one of its toll booths in each state across the nation on the occasion ofInternational Women's Day (March 8). 

5. In a first, the Maharashtra government has announced a collaboration with online encyclopedia Wikipedia to promote Marathi globally and increase its online usage. 

a. This move is aimed at providing Marathi-speaking people a single platform to interact and help reach Maharashtrians who have settled abroad.

6. Indian women’s Twenty20 cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur joined the Punjab police as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) today

a. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Director General of Police (DGP)Suresh Arora pinned the stars on her uniform.

7. Wadhwani AI, India’s first research institute dedicated to developing artificial intelligence solutions for social good was inaugurated in Mumbai today. 

a. The institute will focus on researching ways to harness the power of AI to solve deep rooted problems in healthcare, education, agriculture, and infrastructure to accelerate social development.

8. India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has increased Marginal Cost-based Lending Rates (MCLR) across most maturities, making home, education, and auto loans more expensive. 

a. The bank raised the key one-year MCLR rate to 8.15% from 7.95%, effective immediately. 

9. The scam-hit Punjab National Bank (PNB) raised its lending rate by 15 basis points to8.30% with immediate effect.

a. The bank also increased its retail and build deposit rates by up 45 basis points on various maturities.

10. China has topped the Hurun Global Rich List 2018 with 819 billionaires, beating the United States which had 571 billionaires. 

a. India replaced Germany to reclaim the third spot in the list with 131 billionaires. 

b. Jeff Bezos of Amazon stood at first place with $123 billion.

c. Warren Buffett overtook Bill Gates and grabbed the 2nd position. 

d. Pony Ma of Tencent became the richest Asian with $47 billion

11. Indian e-payments and e-commerce brand Paytm has emerged as the largest contributor to the overall volume of UPI transactions in February 2018. 

a. This is within two months after the full roll-out in January.

12. The Union Cabinet approved draft rules to set up National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), an independent regulator to oversee auditing and accounting standards. 

a. NFRA's jurisdiction will extend to listed and large unlisted public companies.

b. The existing self-regulatory body, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), will continue to govern audits of smaller companies.

13. The Indian Railways has announced that Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges won't be levied on passengers for booking railway tickets through debit cards.

14. The deadline for mandatory KYC (Know Your Customer) compliance by prepaid wallet customers has expired on 28th February 2018.

a. The customers who haven't completed the KYC won't be able to reload their wallet or send money to others. 

15. To deal with those banking fraudsters who are escaping overseas to avoid getting caught, the Union Cabinet proved the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill. 

a. This bill empowers the government to confiscate any property owned by such persons in India.  

b. Announced in Budget 2017, the bill was hastened after PNB scam accused Nirav Modi fled the country and refused to cooperate with investigations.

16. The CBI has charged former CMD of United Bank of India Archana Bhargava for amassing assets worth over ₹3.6 crore, 133.23% more than her known sources of income. 

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 28th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 28th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 28th, 2018

1. (Last Day of February) is Rare Disease Day.
a. This day aims to raise awareness about relatively unknown diseases and their impact.
b. Started as a European event, over 80 countries across the world have joined the campaign.
c. Note : According to the World Health Organisation, a disease found in less than 6.5-10 people per 10,000 people is defined as rare.
d. Theme of Rare Disease Day 2018 : research
2. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani today offered to recognise Taliban as a legitimate political group in order to end the over 16-year-long war. "
a. He also proposed a ceasefire and the release of Taliban-linked prisoners along with fresh elections and a constitutional review.
3. Belgium's capital Brussels is going to providefree public transport on days of excessive air pollution under new emergency rules.
a. Speed limits of cars would be reduced by a third and wood fires will be banned unless they are the only source of heating for households.
4. The 2 day International conference on Sustainable Biofuels was held in New Delhi.
a. This conference was jointly being organized by Department of Biotechnology and Biofuture platform.
b. Aim of this Conference : To provide common platform to Government policy makers, industry, investors and research community to exchange experiences and challenges related to development and scaling of advance biofuels.
5. The 7th Meeting of Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Nepal-India relations was recently held at Kathmandu.
a. Various bilateral issues including 1950 Peace and Friendship treaty, trade, environment, border and hydropower were discussed during the two-day meeting.
b. Next meeting of the group will be held in New Delhi.
c. About EPG :
i. Eminent Persons Group (EPG) is a joint mechanism consisting experts and intellectuals from India and Nepal.
ii. It was set up in February 2016 to provide suggestions for updating all existing bilateral treaties and agreements between both the countries.
6. (28th February 2018)  is National Science Day.
a. On this day, the nation pays tributes to the legacy of the great scientist, Dr C V Raman, who brought Nobel Prize in Science to Asia and India for the first time for his ground-breaking achievement of the Raman effect.
b. Professor Raman disclosed this discovery to the world on 28th of February, 1928 and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.
c. In 1986, The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) had urged the Indian government to declare February 28 as National Science Day.
d. Theme of National Science Day 2018 : "Science and Technology for a sustainable future."
7. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram was arrested at Chennai Airport by the CBI today for not cooperating in the investigation of the INX Media money laundering case.
a. Karti is being probed for allegedly receiving a commission in a government clearance for INX Media's foreign investment during his father's tenure as the Finance Minister.
8. The 21st National Conference on e-Governance was held in Hyderabad (Telangana).
a. Theme of the Conference : ‘Technology for accelerating Development’.
9. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched ‘Viral Load testing’ for all People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV).
a. The viral load test measures amount of HIV in blood number of copies of HIV RNA in millilitre of blood.
10. As part of a first privately-funded mission, the Moon is going to get its 1st 4G mobile network next year to allow lunar exploration vehicles to stream high-definition data back to a base station.
a. Vodafone Germany, Nokia, and carmaker Audi jointly announced that they were working in collaboration with Berlin-based space exploration scientists. The project is a to the Moon.
11. In order to provide access to information on commonly-searched symptoms, Google has rolled out a new feature called 'Symptom Search' in India.
a. If a user searches for symptoms like 'cough and pain', the Search app will show a list of related conditions.
12. The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has entered into MoU with Indian Ocean Rim Association’s (IORA’s) Regional Centre for Science and Technology Transfer (RCSTT) for designating Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow (CSIR-CIMAP) as Coordinating Centre on Medicinal Plants.
13. The Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal(82), passed away today.
a. He had succeeded Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal in 1994 as the 69th pontiff of the Peetham.
14. Archaeologist and historian Arvind P. Jamkhedkar has been appointed as the next Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).
a. He is going to replace the present Chairman K. Sudershan Rao.
15. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised exposure limit under Exchange Traded Currency Derivatives (ETCD) trading for residents and Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) to $100 million across all currency pairs involving Indian rupee.
a. This decision aims to help entities engaged in forex transactions to maintain their currency risks in better manner.
b. Note : Earlier, the limit was of $15 million for US Dollar-Rupee and $5 million for other currency pairs of Indian rupee with Japanese Yen, Euro and British Pound.
16. Flipkart's payments platform PhonePe has signed a partnership with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to deploy its recently launched Point of Sale (POS) devices at IOCL retail outlets.
17. E-commerce major Amazon India today launched its ad-free music streaming service,Amazon Prime Music, for the Prime members, at no extra-cost.
a. The service offers unlimited offline downloads and includes a wide range of songs across international and Indian music labels in over 10 languages.
18. Telecom operator Aircel today announced it has filed for bankruptcy as the company has been facing "troubled times" in "highly financially stressed" industry.
19. 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer and 23-time Grand Slam championSerena Williams won the Laureus Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awardsrespectively.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 27th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 27th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 27th, 2018

1. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Indonesian President Joko Widodo have jointly agreed to restore full military cooperation between the two countries.
a. Note : Indonesia's military had suspended military cooperation in January after finding material insulting Indonesia's founding principles at an Australian base. Australia and Indonesia are also in economic partnership talks to cut tariffs and promote trade.
2. 'Clicktivism' (a word for armchair activists on social media), 'otherize' (viewing a group of people as intrinsically different from oneself) and 'haterade' (excessive criticism) are among the new additions to oxforddictionaries.com.
a. Note : The words emerged during the US Presidential elections.
3. Nation paying tribute to martyrChandrashekhar Azad (23rd July 1906 – 27th February 1931)  on his 87th Death Anniversary today.
a. He was a great Indian freedom fighter who was involved in Kakori Train Robbery, the attempt to blow up the Viceroy's train, and the shooting of Saunders at Lahore to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai.
b. He was the mentor of Bhagat Singh,another great freedom fighter.
c. After the independence, to commemorate Chandra Shekhar Azad, Alfred Park (Allahabad), where Chandra Shekhar Azad shot himself was renamed Chandra Shekhar Azad Park.
4. The city of Ahmedabad (Gujarat) has celebrated its 606th foundation day on Sunday.
a. Manek Nath, a seer, advised the city's founder Ahmed Shah I to begin the construction of Manek Burj, the foundation bastion of the city on 26th February 1411.
b. Note : Ahmedabad is the sixth largest city and seventh largest metropolitan area of India.
5. The Madras High Court today suggested Tamil Nadu government bring in a special Act to remove Prosopis Juliflora (Seemai Karuvelam) trees in Tamil Nadu.
a. Note : The trees are causing extensive damage to the environment and water.
b. So far only 15% of the trees had been removed, the court stated.
6. NITK Surathkal will be hosting its annual cultural festival 'Incident' from 1st to 5th March 2017.
a. This year's theme : 'A Coastal Carnival'
7. US Democrats today elected former Labor Secretary Tom Perez as the Chairman of theDemocratic National Committee to head the opposition to Republican President Donald Trump.
a. Perez, who had served in the Barack Obama administration, won over Keith Ellison by getting 235 out of 435 votes of the Democratic National Committee and immediately declared Ellison as his deputy.
8. OSCARS 2017 Highlights :
a. The Barry Jenkins directorial 'Moonlight' has won the Oscar for 'Best Picture'.
b. Emma Stone won Best Actress award for 'La La Land' and Casey Affleck was named Best Actor for 'Manchester By The Sea'.
c. 'La La Land' Director Damien Chazelle, who is 32 years and 38 days old, became the youngest to win the Oscar for Best Director.
d. American actor Mahershala Ali became the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar as he was named Best Supporting Actor for 'Moonlight'.
e. 'The Salesman', the Iranian film by director Asghar Farhadi, was named the Best Foreign Language Film.
f. A musical tribute was paid to Indian actor Om Puri, who passed away on January 6 this year, at Oscars 2017 during the 'In Memorium' segment.
o He has starred in Hollywood films like 'The Hundred-Foot Journey'.
9. Paytm's e-commerce arm has launched 'Paytm Mall', a new mobile app and online shopping portal.
a. This new platform will allow customers to shop products across categories such as fashion, electronics, consumer durables and home furnishings.
b. Note : Paytm has launched a separate e-commerce app since the original Paytm app is now Paytm Wallet and is a part of Paytm Payments Bank.
10. Homegrown technology company Smartron is set to launch an exclusive Sachin Tendulkar-branded mobile phone in April.
a. The Sachin Tendulkar-branded smartphone will be the third device launched by Smartron in less than 12 months, the other gadgets being the t.phone and t.book.
11. Finland-based licensee of the Nokia brand HMD relaunched the Nokia 3310 phone at about ₹3,500 with a colour display and the iconic Snake game.
a. The phone, which was phased out in 2005, will have two micro SIM slots, a 2.4-inch screen, and a 2-megapixel camera.
b. It will have 25 days of standby time and 22 hours talk time.
12. Chinese smartphone maker ZTE has unveiled the 'Gigabit Phone', which it says is theworld's first 5G network compatible smartphone.
o Its download speeds can reach 1Gbps, 10 times faster than the first generation of 4G services widely in use.
o How is 5G mobile network different from 4G ?
o The 5G or fifth-generation mobile network will be up to 10 times faster than 4G LTE network, with peak download speed of up to 20 Gbps.
o This means, an HD movie can be downloaded within a second.
o The 5G network will boost the development of new technologies like self-driving vehicles, virtual reality, and the Internet of Things.
13. FORPHEUS, developed by Japan-based Omron Corporation, has been given the Guinness World Records title for being the 'First robot table tennis tutor'.
a. The robot possesses unique technological intelligence and educational capabilities and is known for playing better than humans.
14. UK's tallest man Neil Fingleton (36), who portrayed the giant 'Mag the Mighty' on HBO series 'Game of Thrones', has passed away.
15. Emmy-nominated actor Bill Paxton (61), who starred in some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters of the 1980s and ’90s passed away.
a. He is famous for his roles in the films like The Terminator, Aliens, Twister and Titanic as well as TV shows Big Love and Hatsfields & McCoys
16. Former Union Minister P Shiva Shankar (88) passed away.
a. He also served as Governor of Sikkim and Kerala.
17. India has won it's  1st Gold medal of ISSF World Cup in Delhi in 10m Pistol Mixed team event.
a. Indian shooters Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu clinched the gold medal by defeating Japan in the event's final.
b. Note : Earlier, Pooja Ghatkar had won the women's 10m air rifle bronze medal at the competition.
c. ISSF - International Shooting Sport Federation
18. Kalinga Lancers (Bhubaneswar) beat Dabang Mumbai to lift maiden Hockey India League Title in Chandigarh today.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 26th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 26th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 26th, 2018

1. Venezuela and Libya were suspended from voting in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the 2016-17 session for not paying dues to the world body.
a. This is for the 2nd time in two years both countries have been suspended.
b. Besides them other four other countries Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Vanuatu and Cabo Verde also may lose their voting rights for not paying their in past two years .
2. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has made a rare visit to Iraq, meeting PM Haider al-Abadi.
a. It is the first visit of a senior Saudi minister since the US overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003.
3. The Mexican government today announced that it would not accept US deportees from third countries under any circumstances.
a. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly had asked Mexican officials during their Thursday visit if they would host deportees.
b. Note : Most of the immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border in recent years have been Central Americans.
4. Pakistan has signed 10 Agreements with Turkey to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields.
a. The agreements and MoUs were signed during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent visit to Turkey during which he co-chaired the 5th Session of Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC).
b. The agreements were signed in the fields of hydrocarbons, information, environment, forestry, exchange of financial intelligence relating to money laundering and exchange of armed forces personnel.
5. The Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched aFarmer's kit developed by scientists of the CSIR-lab, the Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), at Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu.
a. This kit will help farmers assess the soil condition and decide the fertilizer usage plan economically themselves.
6. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has directed all the engineering colleges affiliated to it to urgently put in place an online mechanism for redressal of grievances.
7. International rating agency Moody’s report titled ‘Modest Acceleration in the Global Economy’ has predicted that India will be the fastest growing economy among G-20 countries in year 2017 with 7.1% growth.
8. Following the failure of its global bid, the Indian Railways has decided to manufacture its own trainsets in Chennai that can run at up to 160 kmph.
a. Named 'Train-2018', the first such trainset is expected to be ready in 2018.
b. Note : A trainset has coaches that are individually powered by a propulsion system, eliminating the need for a locomotive.
9. A group of energy tech startups in cooperation with electricity providers in Australia has launched a pilot program of the world's first digital marketplace for rooftop solar energy.
a. The Decentralised Energy Exchange (deX) will let homeowners monetise their solar panels and batteries by essentially renting them to the grid when they're most needed.
10. Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, who became a member of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission (IOC AC) last year, would be representing the panel in the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
a. Currently, ranked world number 10 in BWF rankings, Saina is aiming to win the All England Championship next month.
11. India won all three medals in the 12.8 Kilometre Individual Time Trial at the 6th Asian Para-Road Cycling Championship held in Bahrain.
a. They are :
o Gold - Abhishek (Chandigarh)
o Silver - Divij Shah (West Bengal)
o Bronze - Harinder Singh (BSF)

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 22nd, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 22nd, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 22nd, 2018

1. India has been ranked 81st in the Global corruption perception index for 2017, released by Transparency International.
a. Last year, India was in the 79th place.
b. New Zealand and Denmark were placed the highest in the list.
c. Syria, South Sudan and Somalia were ranked lowest.
2. Japan has donated over 10,000 ballot boxes worth $7.5 million (over ₹48 crore) forCambodia's 2018 general elections.
3. Actor Kamal Haasan launched his political party 'Makkal Needhi Maiam' and hoisted a flag carrying the party's symbol in Tamil Nadu's Madurai.
a. The flag of Makkal Needhi Maiam Party depicts 6 hands holding onto each other with a six-pointed star in the middle.
4. The Jharkhand government has banned the Popular Front of India, claiming its members were "internally influenced by the ISIS".
5. Indian Air Force officer Avani Chaturvedi has become the country's first woman to fly a fighter jet solo, as she operated Russian-made MiG-21 aircraft in her first training sortie.
6. Microsoft is going to add support for email addresses in 15 Indian languages across its apps and services.
a. It would allow users to send or receive emails in local language email addresses for Outlook accounts on personal computers.
b. The 15 Indian languages supported for email address include Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
7. India successfully conducted the first night trial of indigenously developed nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Prithvi-II.
8. The Grace Bay beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands has topped the 2018 Travellers' Choice Beach Awards by TripAdvisor.
a. The Baia do Sancho beach in Brazil and Varadero Beach in Cuba have been placed second and third respectively.
b. Note : The Agonda Beach in Goa was placed 18th on the list and was the only Indian beach in the top 25.
9. India and Canada have signed a bilateral agreement to support entrepreneurs and startups from both the countries.
a. Under this agreement, the governments of both the countries have partnered with startup accelerator Zone Startups India, which will identify 40 startups that will receive support. The program will especially focus on women entrepreneurs.
10. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted an expert committee to look into the entire gamut of issues relating to classification of bad loans, effectiveness of audits andrising incidents of frauds.
a. Head of this Committee : Y H Malegam (Former member of Central Board of Directors of RBI).
11. Government  has constituted an Empowered Expert Committee (EEC) to select 20 Institutions of Eminence from among 104 institutions (public or private) that have applied for the status.
a. Head of this Committee : N Gopalaswami (Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC))
12. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)  lowered the interest rate to 8.55% for the financial year 2017-18, compared to 8.65% for 2016-17.
a. This is the second straight year that the provident fund body, which manages a corpus of over ₹11 lakh crore, has reduced the interest rate.
13. India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI)  cautioned its cardholders ofpotential legal, financial and other risks associated with Bitcoin and otherCryptocurrencies.
a. However, the bank did not ban the use of its cards for such investments.
b. Important Note : Citibank India had already banned the use of its credit and debit cards towards purchase or trading of cryptocurrencies.
14. Goa CM Manohar Parrikar  presented the Rs 17,123-crore budget for 2018-19, an increase of 6.84 per cent over the ongoing fiscal, with a stress on education and job creation.
15. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that KYC (Know Your Customer)verification of payments bank customers done by telecom companies is not permissible.
a. It has instructed payments banks to complete the KYC process independently through third parties.
b. This comes after Airtel was penalised by UIDAI for allegedly opening payments bank accounts without 'informed consent' of the users.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 21st, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 21st, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 21st, 2018

1. (21st February) is International Mother Language Day.
a. This day is observed to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
b. First announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999, it was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution establishing 2008 as the International Year of Languages.
c. February 21 was specifically chosen to mark the day in 1952 when students demonstrated for recognition of their language, Bangla as a national language in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
d. Theme of International Mother Language Day 2018 : "Linguistic diversity and multilingualism count for sustainable development".
2. Kerala has made vaccination compulsory for school admissions from next academic year onwards.
a. Parents will have to show details of shots given to children at the time of enrolment in schools.
3. Following a Supreme Court directive, the Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of atribunal to resolve the dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh on sharing water from the Mahanadi river.
a. In 2016, Odisha had moved the SC against Chhattisgarh building dams on the river alleging that it was affecting the river flow and water supply to its farmers.
4. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has announced that commuters can now use theirSmart Cards to make payments in feeder buses and at parking lots of 13 stations in the NCR.
a. The move is part of Common Mobility Card project and is aimed at ensuring last-mile connectivity to commuters.
5. To improve the learning skills of students in government and municipal-run schools, theDelhi government has announced the launch of 'Mission Buniyaad' from this year.
6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the 'UP Investors Summit 2018' in Lucknow.
a. This is the first such event to be organised by UP’s Yogi Adityanath government.
b. The 2-day event is aimed at showcasing investment opportunities and potential across various sectors in the state.
7. In order to take on Apple Pay, the technology giant Google has launched a new payments app called Google Pay.
a. The platform includes features like the ability to pay at checkout counters with a smartphone, or pay for public transportation.
8. Venezuela today formally launched a pre-sale of its state-backed cryptocurrency 'Petro' in a bid to recover from its worst financial crisis.
a. Note : 'Petro' is the world's first state-issued cryptoasset.
9. The Union Cabinet has approved Cooperation Agreement between India and Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCFM) to develop long-term cooperation and partnership in different areas of railway sector.
10. The Indian Railways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maharashtragovernment to set up a ₹600-crore metro coach factory in Latur district.
11. India’s indigenous light transport aircraft SARAS has been successfully test flown for a second time today.
a. This was the second of the 20 test flights planned for SARAS PT1N, before freezing the production version.
12. According to a recently released report by UK-based wireless coverage mapping company OpenSignal, India has recorded the lowest 4G LTE speed in the world at an average of6.07 Mbps.
a. Singapore topped the list with an average 4G speed of 44.31 Mbps, followed by theNetherlands and Norway.
13. World's richest man Jeff Bezos today revealed installation of the 500-feet-tall clock, which will keep time for 10,000 years, has begun in the US.
14. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has announced that he is going to retire.
a. The upcoming Pakistan Super League will be his last professional tournament as a cricketer.
15. With a total of 14 medals, Norway's Marit Bjoergen became the most successful athlete in Winter Olympics history today after winning bronze for USA in cross country skiing's women's team sprint free.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 20th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 20th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 20th, 2018

1. (20th February) is World Day of Social Justice.
a. It is an awareness day which had been initiated by the United Nations (UN) in 2009 and it aims to bring back the approach of social justice to mind.
b. One of its basic principles is the fair dispersal of goods. Social Justice is the basic condition for peace and respect between the nations on a connected world.
c. Theme of World Day of Social Justice 2018 : "Workers on the Move: the Quest for Social Justice”.
2. According to a recently released UNICEF study, every year in India, at least 6, 00,000 newborns die within 28 days of their birth.
a. The study also revealed that Pakistan is the riskiest country to be born in as it accounted for the world's highest newborn mortality rate.
b. UNICEF - United Nations International Children's Education Fund
3. Pakistan senate has approved declaration of Mandarin (the main language spoken in China), as one of the official languages of the country.
4. One the eve of 53rd independence anniversary of the country, Gambia today announced the suspension of death penalty in the country.
5. Singapore is going to impose a 'Carbon Tax' from 2019 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to fight climate change.
a. A tax of S$5 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions will be levied from 2019 to 2023 and will be imposed on facilities producing 25,000 tonnes or more of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
6. India will host the World Environment Day 2018 on June 5, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Erik Solheim have jointly announced today.
a. The of World Environment Day 2018 : 'Beat Plastic Pollution'
b. This year's theme urges governments and communities to explore sustainable alternatives and reduce production and excessive use of single-use plastic.
7. An all-woman crew today started operating the Gandhinagar Railway Station in Jaipur, in a first for Rajasthan.
a. Note : This is India's second railway station with an all-woman crew, with the first being Matunga Railway Station in Mumbai.
8. The Rajasthan government has announced the withdrawal of a bill seeking to bar courts from taking up complaints against public servants without government sanction, after it was triggered widespread protests.
9. To provide cheap sanitary pads to school girls and women, the Maharashtra government is going to roll out a scheme titled Asmita Yojana on the International Women’s Day (March 8, 2018).
a. Under this scheme, schoolgirls studying in Zilla Parishad schools will get sanitary napkin packet at Rs 5 while rural women can avail it at subsidised rate of Rs.24 and Rs.29.
10. India  successfully test-fired the medium-range nuclear-capable Agni II missilefrom APJ Abdul Kalam island off the Odisha coast.
a. The missile has a strike range of more than 2,000 km, can carry a payload of 1,000 kg, and is equipped with an advanced high accuracy navigation system.
11. United Kingdom and India have launched joint research projects on ‘Water Quality Research’ and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’.
a. The ‘Water Quality Research’ programme has 8 projects and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ programme has 4 projects, with total joint investment of up to £15 million.
12. Google  announced that users can now pay utility bills with its Unified Payments Interface-based payment app 'Tez', without any transaction charges.
a. The feature includes bills for electricity, gas, water, DTH as well as mobile postpaid bills and recharge.
b. It will also send notifications when the bill arrives and allow users to check whether they have paid a bill.
13. Singapore is going to pay its citizens aged 21 and above a one-off 'SG Bonus' of up to S$300 each as the 2017 budget included a surplus of Singapore $10 billion.
14. India Signs Second Loan Agreement with New Development Bank for USD 100 Millionfor Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for Desert Areas
a. The Loan Agreement for financing of Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for the Desert Areas was signed between Government of India and the New Development Bank (NDB) on 13th February 2018 at New Delhi.
b. The objective of this Project is to rehabilitate the 678 km long Indira Gandhi Canal system built during 1958-63 to prevent seepage, conserve water, and enhance water use efficiency as mandated by both national and state level policies on water use.
15. The Maharashtra government today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of ₹35,000 crore with Amol Yadav, the man who built an aircraft on his rooftop.
a. According to the MoU, the state government has promised to give infrastructural and financial support to Yadav.
16. Indian captain Virat Kohli has become the first Indian batsman to go past 900 points in the ICC ODI rankings.
17. The Hockey India selectors today brought back Sardar Singh as captain of a 28-member Indian squad for the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from March 3.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 19th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 19th, 2018

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 19th, 2018

1.   To tackle ever-deepening crisis of depleting groundwater level, the Union Government has formulated ambitious water conservation scheme Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY).

a.    Rs 6,000-crore will be piloted under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation for this scheme.

2.   The government is going to reintroduce the Transgender bill in the Parliament with changes suggested by a parliamentary committee and various rights groups. 

a.    Some of the changes include, dropping the phrase "neither wholly male or female" from the definition of transgender and doing away with the need to have a screening committee at the district level.

3.   To provide healthy, nutritious and hygienic food at affordable prices to all poor and needy persons, the Haryana government has opened subsidised canteens in four districts under the ‘Antyodaya Aahaar Yojana’.

a.    These four districts are Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar and Yamunanagar.

4.   US-based Virgin Hyperloop One has signed an MoU with Maharashtra government for a Hyperloop between Mumbai and Pune.

a.    This Hyperloop will reduce the travel time for 140-km distance to 25 minutes. 

5.   The drama film 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' written, produced, and directed by Martin McDonaghhas has won the Best Film Award at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) 2018. 

a.    Gary Oldman was honored with Best Actor Award.

b.    Frances McDormand was honored with Best Actress Award.

6.   Private sector lender Axis Bank has opened an Off-shore Banking Unit at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).

a.    The offshore Banking unit is capable to trade in foreign currency in overseas markets and also with Indian Banks, raise funds in foreign currency in deposits & borrowings from non-residential sources and provide loans and liabilities products for clients.

7. Amazon has launched it's own food retail venture titled Amazon Retail in Pune. 

a.     With this, Amazon has became the first foreign e-commerce firm to start its own food retail venture in India.

8.   The owner of Rotomac Pens, Vikram Kothari, has been accused of allegedly fleeing with loans of more than ₹800 crore from state-owned banks.

9.   According to the recent data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), at least one bank staffer is caught and punished for involvement in fraud every four hours on an average.

a.    According to this data, around 5,200 officials of public sector banks punished between January 1, 2015, and March 31, 2017. 

b.    Among them, 1,500 officials were the employees of the State Bank of India (SBI).

10.   Noted French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood (62), a disciple of the late Stephane Grappelli, passed away.

11.   BJP nominated Rajendra Trivedi, a two-time BJP MLA from Raopura as the Speaker of the 14th state Legislative Assembly, Gujarat.

12.   Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer has won his career's 97th title by winning theRotterdam Open, two days after becoming the oldest world number one men's player. 

a.    Federer defeated Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the final match.

13.    Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar has become the 1st Indian bowler to take a five-wicket haul in all three formats in international cricket. 

14.    USA's Christian Coleman broke the 20-year-old world record in the 60 metres sprintafter registering a timing of 6.34 seconds at the US Indoor National Championships in Albuquerque today.  .

15.    Star India Pvt. Ltd has won the rights for audio-visual production services for theIndian Premier League (IPL) and BCCI domestic cricket for the 2018-19 season.